Phoenix hikers can enjoy the city’s popular mountain peaks without having to pay a parking bill.

The Parks and Recreation Department has dropped a proposal to impose parking fees at three popular trailheads, City Manager Ed Zuercher said Friday afternoon. Phoenix had considered using meters to help control traffic and raise money for trail upgrades.

Public outcry over the notion of parking meters at city trailheads was palpable. Nearly 1,000 residents contacted city leaders or attended a public hearing to protest the fees.

“The real message is I think we listened,” Parks Director James Burke said. “We have a lot of other issues we need to deal with. We’d rather get on to those.”

The Phoenix Parks and Recreation Board had been looking at installing parking meters at three trailheads areas — Echo Canyon on Camelback Mountain, Pima Canyon in South Mountain Park, and the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail at that Phoenix Mountains Park and Recreation Area.

Some board members and city officials had said the city needs parking fees to help ease congestion and raise money to maintain and upgrade the popular trailheads, which are decades old and suffering from issues with erosion and inadequate amenities.

A contingent of City Council members — led by Councilman Sal DiCiccio, whose district includes Camelback Mountain and Piestewa Peak — pushed for a council vote to block the proposal.

“The public saw right through this,” DiCiccio said, accusing the city of trying to balance its budget on the backs of trail users. “We’ve won one battle here, but we’ve got many more to fight.”

Mayor Greg Stanton also voiced support for the decision, saying Phoenix mountain preserves should “be enjoyed by all ” — echoing concerns that parking meters would deter low-income residents from using the trails.

The parks board will continue to work with a consultant on ideas to alleviate traffic at preserves, Burke said. They also will study funding options for trail upgrades and maintenance.

Anna Trumble, who lives across the street from the Echo Canyon trail, was elated by the decision. She said parking meters would have encouraged hikers to park in her neighborhood.